At that same time, he met and fell in love with Elrond’s daughter, Arwen. Elrond finally revealed his true identity to him when he was 20 years old. In Tolkien’s appendices to The Return of the King, much of Aragorn’s back story is told: He was raised in Rivendell by Elrond, in order to keep his existence a secret from Sauron. Aragorn’s descent to the dead and return to the world as the conquering hero parallel similar descents of epic heroes like Odysseus and Aeneas, and put him into that mythic category. He is humanized by his doubts, his humility, his hesitancy to claim his throne, and his frustrated love for Arwen: Her father will permit her to marry no one less than the restored king of Arnor and Gondor. He takes the name King Elessar, using the Quenya name meaning “elfstone,” referring to the green stone he wears around his neck, a gift from Arwen.Īragorn is more than a two-dimensional hero. At the conclusion of the war, he returns to Minas Tirith is crowned by Gandalf finds a seedling of the White Tree-symbol of his line and marries Arwen, the elf maiden who is daughter of Elrond. He leads the army in a final desperate assault on the Black Gate of Mordor, which gives Frodo and Sam enough time to complete their quest and destroy the One Ring. He refuses to enter the city as king after the battle but does enter secretly to heal the wounded in the Houses of Healing, an act that signifies he is the true king. He leads the Grey Company against Sauron’s fleet of corsairs approaching Minas Tirith from the south, and captures the ships, which he sails with an army of Gondor’s allies up the Anduin in time to turn the tide of the Battle of the Pelennor Fields. This helps to draw Sauron’s attention from the true threat, which is Frodo and the ring.įrom here, Aragorn travels the Paths of the Dead, demanding the allegiance of the Army of the Dead, oathbreakers who can be put to rest by fulfilling their oath to Isildur through aiding his heir. Through this seeing-stone, he strives mentally with Sauron himself, revealing his existence to the Dark Lord and displaying the reforged sword. Here he gains possession of a palantír, which is by rights his own property as Isildur’s heir. With the Rohirrim, Aragorn fights at the Battle of the Hornburg at Helm’s Deep, after which he is with Gandalf and Théoden when they confront Saruman at Orthanc. Reunited with Gandalf at Fangorn Forest, he accompanies the wizard to Edoras, where they gain the alliance of Rohan’s King Théoden. With Legolas and Gimli, Aragorn pursues the orcs into Rohan, where he is befriended by Éomer, captain of the Rohirrim. Aragorn leads the group to Lothlórien and then down the river Anduin to Parth Galen, where the Fellowship is broken after Boromir’s death, Frodo’s departure for Mordor, and Merry and Pippin’s capture by orcs. A logical choice to join the Fellowship of the Ring, he takes over as leader of the Fellowship when Gandalf falls to the Balrog in Moria. In Rivendell, Aragorn reforges the sword of his ancestor Elendil to use in the coming struggle against Sauron. He is able to protect them on Weathertop from a full assault by the Riders, and is able temporarily to stave off the lethal effects of Frodo’s wound until he can reach Rivendell and Elrond’s care. From the beginning, he must caution them against carelessness as the Black Riders pursue them. Aragorn is heir to the throne of Isildur, rightful king of Gondor, who leads his followers against the Dark Lord Sauron and eventually returns victorious as king of the united Gondor and Arnor, the Northern Kingdom, ushering in a kind of renaissance after the War of the Ring.Īragorn first appears in The Lord of the Rings as the rough and suspicious-looking Ranger called Strider, sent by Gandalf to help Frodo and his companions on their journey to Rivendell. Tolkien’s choice to make hobbits (the everyday people) the protagonists of his story forces Aragorn into a subordinate position in the narrative, but the reader’s response to Aragorn remains what it would be for a conventional medieval epic or romance hero-a King Arthur, a Roland, or a Beowulf. By NASRULLAH MAMBROL on FebruĪnalysis of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the RingĪnalysis of The Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersĪnalysis of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingĪragorn is the traditional hero of The Lord of the Rings-the noble warrior who, through valiant martial acts, wins back his crown and marries the fair maiden in the end.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |